U.N. Squadron retrospective: Top fun | Super NES Works

[@aeschafer1]

That character face with the single-eye bangs is the most mid-80s-anime thing I think I've ever seen.

[@SputnikRX]

The slow down that happens when there’s too much stuff on screen should be treated as a feature because otherwise it’d be impossible to beat.

[@Vednier]

Should be noted, that Un Squadron also had 1) quite good music 2) tons of style (not much of games did any Intro like that) 3) very impressive visuals.

[@nimaiiikun]

For my 1st SNES game (outside of SMW), parents said I could either have UN Squadron or Final Fight. I think I was the only kid who chose UN Squadron over FF. No regrets, it has great music and a good challenge level that wasn't insane. not sure why its looked down on by other retro gaming channels.

[@JeremyParish]

nimaiiikun I'm not saying other retro channels are bozos, but I'm not saying they're not bozos, either.

[@zxKAOS1]

I'm as much a Final Fight fan as the next person, but beat 'em up games were truly a dime a dozen in that time.

[@RabbitEarsCh]

My cousin got U.N. Squadron over Final Fight too, and as the subsequent owner of that cartridge...he chose well.

[@nimaiiikun]

@@RabbitEarsCh great choice right! if there is only one flaw of UN Squadron for the SNES.. i wish it had 2 player coop like the arcade.

[@FreshTillDeath56]

6

[@SlyBeast]

One of my favorite SNES games. Got it with my console Christmas of '93. Good times.

[@ReaverPrime]

This game will always have a place in my heart. It was one of my first SNES games and was the first game on SNES I ever finished.

[@rileylabski]

Just a note in 2021: Carrier Air Wing is now available on one of the Capcom Arcade anthology collections on the Nintendo Switch :) I bought the whole bundle just for that game. Thanks for this awesome video!

[@absolutezeronow7928]

As noted in your upcoming book SNES Works Volume 1, Carrier Air Wing did recently get a port as part of a larger Capcom Arcade collection. Which is very welcome and I'm glad the book will be in print soon. (And the original Area 88 OVAs are pretty good).

[@ralfvanbogaert3451]

Just wanted to say that out of all retro gaming review channels on KZbin, yours became a favorite in no time. Keep up the splendid work mr. Parish.

[@JeremyParish]

Thank you!

[@jokerzwild00]

It's crazy how this channel and the Retronauts podcast are both things I've listened to/watched for over a year, yet I didn't even know it was the same Jeremy on both of them until this past week. Both are amazingly well produced and informative, it shouldn't surprise me. If you haven't checked it out yet give Retronauts a listen sometime.

[@GameOnRadio1]

hey yo I saw it on iTunes the other day. Thanks because of you I will give it a listen to.

[@Yungbeck]

I can't believe I didn't know about this game until about a year ago. If I had this as a kid...

[@alexshadowfax1119]

KZbin is flooded with retro video game content and I've become very hesitant to click on new videos and try out new channels. I took a chance on your video regarding Dr chaos and Superman on NES, I knew within 30 seconds I'd enjoy your style. No gimmicks, just facts about the game, your opinion about the game and it's place in history. Looking forward to going through your catalog which is very extensive! Thank you, have a good day.

[@erikc8284]

UN Squadron is on my top 3 SuperNes video games of all time. It is that good.

[@thatcokestuff]

We had this game growing up and I never knew where it came from but it was so fun, even tho I could never make it past the 4th or so level haha and the music is soooo good

[@Tigershark_3082]

Bit of interesting info about the planes featured in Area 88/UN Squadron: F8E: the Vought F-8E (or F8U-2NE) was a major improvement over the previous F-8D (F8U-2N), featuring underwing ordnance pylons (all previous models lacked this), new avionics (AN/APQ-94 replacing APQ-83), electronics to guide the AGM-12 Bullpup, and a more powerful engine (Pratt and Whitney J57-P-20A). The F-8Es would be used by the Navy mostly as for air-superiority/as an interceptor, while the marines used them for both air-superiority and strike missions. The F-8E would be upgraded into the F-8J, and retired by 1976. Shin uses the F-8E throught the first chapters of the Area 88 Manga (where it would be destroyed by a Mig-17PF Fresco D), and was used by him during the first OVA (or first half of the first movie), until being destroyed by a Mig-21PFM or Mig-21Bis Fishbed. The TV series shows Shin's Crusader having under-wing fuel tanks, meaning it's an F-8J. F-20 Tigershark: The Northrop F-20A Tigershark was a prototype lightweight fighter, intended for the export narket throughout the mid-1980s. A continuation of the Northrop F-5 series (F-5A/B Freedom Fighter, F-5C Skoshi Tiger, F-5E/F Tiger II), the F-20 (known as the F-5G) had been originally created to meet the needs of Taiwan, for an F-5 capable of firing the Semi-Active Radar Homing Beyond Visual Range AIM-7 Sparrow. It featured a more advanced radar, and more powerful single-engine (replacing the twin General Electric J85-GE-21As of the Tiger II). The program went dormant in 1979 after President Jimmy Carter personally blocked the sale of it to Taiwan (despite being fully in-line with export restrictions at the time). The FX program was then created for a new, lightweight export fighter (one capable of outperforming the F-5E yet also incapable of outperforming the F-16, F-15, and F-14). Northrop upgraded their F-5G, which would be re-designated as F-20 and gain the name Tigershark. It found no buyers, and was cancelled in 1986 after two of the three prototypes crashed. It appeared as Shin's personal aircraft in both the Manga and OVAs. A-10A: The Fairchild Republic A-10A Thunderbolt was designed by Alexander Cartvelli (the brain behind the P-47 Thunderbolt, F-84 Thunderjet, F-84F Thunderstreak, RF-84F Thunderflash, and F-105 Thunderchief) in response to a call for a dedicated Close Air Support (CAS) aircraft to replace the Douglas A-1 Skyraider. The A-10A was decently barebones, having only a HUD and single Multi-Function Display. They would typically employ the General Electric GAU-8 Avenger 30mm rotaey cannon, as well as an assortment of dumb bombs, rockets, and guided air-to-surface missiles (namely the AGM-65 Maverick). During the 1991 Gulf War (Operation Desert Storm), Thunderbolt IIs would be pulled from use in contested airspace due to losses. It would ultimately be superceded by the A-10C in the mid-late 1990s, which had more advanced sensor suites. The A-10A only appears in the Manga (Greg specifically requested it to use on sorties against the Land Carrier, since the A-4 Skyhawks previously used were suffering heavy losses) and 1986 third Area 88 OVA titled Burning Mirage (used by Greg to bomb a refinery during the Ravine Raid). It did not appear in the 2004 TV series. F-14D: the F-14D Super Tomcat was an early 1990s modernization of the Grumman F-14A Tomcat. The program added a glass-cockpit, AN/APG-71 Radar (modernized/digitized version of the AN/AWG-9, the original radar of the Tomcat), an Airborne Self-Protection Jammer, new ejection seats, and an Infrared Search and Track system, as well as having the General Electric F110-GE-400s of the F-14B "Bombcat". 18 A-model Tomcats were upgraded to D-standards (designated as F-14D(R)), and 37 were newly built. The Super Tomcat did mot appear in any version of Area 88, though the F-14B appeared in the TV series, while the Manga and OVAs had the A-model Tomcat. F-200: the F-200 was directly based on (if not essentially a ripoff of) the Mikoyan Mig-31 "Firefox", from the novels/Clint Eastwood movie of the same name. It did not appear in the Manga, OVAs, or 2004 TV series for Area 88. YF-23: the Northrop YF-23 Black Widow II was a prototype 5th gen stealth aircraft, intended as the competitor to Lockheed Martin's YF-22A Raptor. It was less maneuverable than the Raptor, though was faster and supposedly more stealthy. The prototype was ultimately not up to par, and lost out to the YF-22. It did not make an appearance in the Manga, OVA, or 2004 TV series adaptations of Area 88.

[@AlexC595]

This was my first favorite video game. I was 7 or 8 years old.

[@zengram]

One of my snes favorites ever!!

[@SaxcatGamingCorner]

This was one of my favorite games to rent when the system first came out.

[@digitalworms]

I owned this game back in the day amazing game amazing music! Funny thing is I dont even remember how I came about owning it same with Super R Type!

[@Ripcord715]

One of my all time favorite games and one of my favorite soundtracks as well.

[@scottkeane5946]

New favorite KZbin channel

[@JohnMatayas]

Jesus Christ, that intro is perfect... this game had one of the most awesome OSTs of the console, top tier along with MMX, F-Zero, Mario RPG and Gargoyle's Quest

[@raekane]

I got this game from Woolworths during their going out of business sale.

[@MaidenHell1977]

Just a note: Carrier Airwing has been released on Capcom Arcade Stadium! It's finally home!

[@diego_villena]

Is it good?

[@travisfields157]

I've only recently found out Shin was a boy, lol! Played the game but never knew the history behind it.

[@jasonking3182]

Me and my dad both got so good at this game we both could beat it with the starting plane on the hardest difficulty. It was probably the last game he was better than me at.

[@justinscott7825]

Oh man I love this game! Always a three way tie between Gradius 3, R-type 3 and U.N Squadron. For my top shmups

[@rocketassistedgoat1079]

Not a bad selection at all. I would probably pick; UN Squadron, Thunder Force 4 and R-Type (arcade), though XEXEX should probably be in that list.

[@ManuelJordan317]

BTW for Mickey, when it gets the "hidden icon" that gives extra ammo, only for this player, it gives twice and not few extra such as for the other two players.

[@JetstreamGW]

Still nothing you can do about UN Squadron, but Carrier Air Wing is available on Steam as part of the Capcom Arcade Stadium.

[@niespeludo]

Loved this game and Aero Fighters on the SNES. I didn't know it was based on an Anime...that's something completely new to me. Excellent video as always Jeremy.

[@juanoncho]

Flawless review. Thanks for the good memories.

[@Leomerya12]

I feel like not enough credit is given to the SOUND DESIGN.

[@rubberwoody]

Been grinding this game hard since getting SNES on my analogue Pocket. It of course replicates the slowdown. It makes me wonder what would happen if I forced "super FX" mode onto it Regardless. This shooter is incredible. The differing paths and upgrade money system makes me want to find the most optimal path through. Which stages to tackle in what order and with what planes

[@rocketassistedgoat1079]

Such a great game. One of only two arcade games I could clock on one credit. It was never released on SNES in New Zealand, so have waited FOREVER for it on PSStore...

[@erichopkinsable]

After all these years ... Shin is a man??

[@AuburnTigers111]

Probably the first video game I ever owned.

[@littlemissnintendofan6558]

In my Top 3 best Snes games of all time! Great game, difficulty about right, music really good and atmospheric. Certainly a 10/10 game and it will never leave my collection!

[@katt-the-pig]

Never heard of this game, before. Sounds like a hidden gem.

[@darktetsuya]

You know I never thought about Area 88/UN Squadron as a side-scrolling 194X successor, but you're right! On Carrier Air Wing though, I heard the reason it's never been reprinted was actually similar to UN Squadron's as it had all the licensed planes in the game!

[@Kasperl88]

Random Fact: The F200 Efreet is based off of the MIG-31 Firefox as it appears in the Clint Eastwood movie, Firefox. No relation to the browser.

[@rossninness426]

I was wondering if this would get called out in the Comments. Nice work. The Firefox was worth the big bucks too!

[@rigovertoescalera7107]

Love this game!!

[@SNARC15]

In keeping with the elements of the anime, I used to say the best ending for Shin would be if he does make the $1.5 million to buy out his contract. Too bad Capcom didn't make that part of the game for real though.

[@Wuss2ns]

Love your work Jeremy. Always feels more substantial than the other shows out there.

[@RabbitEarsCh]

This game is gorgeous, the music's great, it's great fun, and the title sequence when you boot it up still gives me chills to this day. Even by modern standards it does a fantastic job of hyping you up from power on.

[@Coolman13355]

I only have a passing knowledge of this game to begin with, but didn't know it was a licensed property.

[@luisguillermojg]

Great episode Jeremy, made me want to seek out U.N. Squadron. Also, I hope the launch date at the end is not a mistake and we're getting a second episode today.

[@fallofsaigon]

I was waiting for this one! GREAT game! GREAT SHOW! :)

[@hemangchauhan2864]

Man, this game is hard as balls. Capcom didn't mess around when it came to difficulty

[@MartiniGaming]

I upvote every video on this channel before I even finish watching. Everything is extremely well done.

[@firebirdude2]

Best advice I can give for this game? Stick with the F8E until you can afford the F200. I usually have enough money for the F200 just before the map widens for the last 3 levels. I don't even touch the green trucks.

[@Tigershark_3082]

A fellow Crusader enjoyer

[@Kafei2006]

Already own it! Found it for 10€ in a used game shop about 10 years ago, and knew it was a good game from a friend of mine owning the US version and lending it to me. It works perfectly well at 60Hz on my Super NES Jr. due to the lack of region locking, so owning a PAL version isn't a handicap at all for me. It truly is a great game and ranks high among the best shmups on the system. Can't wait for Super NES Works to reach Super Aleste/Space Megaforce :).

[@Fattydeposit]

RudyC3 Yeah, as great as UN Squadron SNES is (I still have my childhood copy) I do see Space Megaforce as being in an entirely different league to it. It's basically the best game of its kind on the system; the result of years of experience and refinement in console shooters made by true masters of the craft at the top of their game. A mic drop.

[@dragonsslumber8894]

I look forward to the next episode today.

[@FFVison]

I remember playing this game as a kid. I think I was able to complete maybe 3 stages. This game gets hard very quickly. Heh, I actually have one of the songs as a ringtone on my phone. For those wonder, it's the song called either Clouds or Enemy Airforce. Yeah, kickass soundtrack on this game.

[@Nuclearlandlord]

If only the real United Nations were this cool. Those peacekeepers only get those ridiculous blue helmets.

[@ChristopherSobieniak]

Jerry Rattanong Despite the fact the the UN had nothing to do in "Area 88" at all, but I guess Capcom thought making the mercenary group affiliated in them made sense.

[@mikeshomegardening8150]

So glad I still have a working copy of this game.

[@MaidenHell1977]

Kick ass game, only finally got a Japanese copy of the game last year as the North American version is sooo expensive. Also just ordered the Area 88 OAV off amazon to hopefully watch sometime over the Christmas holidays.

[@Davethe3rd]

Something to note: the three pilots are kind of similar in function to the three fighters in Final Fight. Shin is balanced. The "Cody". Mickey is weaker, but faster. The "Guy". Greg is stronger, but slower. The "Haggar".

[@81Mendel]

@4:07 Forget about Donkey Kong Country and super FX games. Best snes graphics ever right here! Still looks great!

[@Twincade]

I just bought this game on ebay, can't wait for it to arrive! Looks so fun :)

[@turdfurgason6659]

very well put together video. I could learn from this.

[@shane1489]

L O V E D IT!!! Only wish it has co op.

[@rowtow13]

I like that we can use Star Fox 2 as a touchstone now.

[@Sickopuppie]

The game that made me think the UN had a mercenary airforce. Thanks a lot Capcom western localization.

[@Padoca]

Love this game, the music is so good, and feels so nostalgic.

[@dansteevenson9884]

Top fun top gun

[@fearanarchy]

Very in-depth. Subscribed now.

[@Demonskunk]

I'm sorry, the A-10 Thunderbolt, the plane they built around a giant gun - a gun with so much recoil that sustained fire will fuck up your flight stability - has the poorest forward fire??

[@JeremyParish]

It's anime, man

[@fluffychouchou1388]

great work as always. cheers~

[@jamesmason3734]

I had this game when I was a kid, I think the cartage is still at my mom's house. Now I'm interested in the thing it's a licence from

[@benkizer9509]

Loved this game and always wondered why it never was rereleased. You helped answer that question, so thanks!

[@Gamevet]

This is one game that I never replaced for my SNES. I'd sold all of my 16-bit consoles and games during the 32-bit era, and bought them back a couple of years later (on the cheap) when I started missing them. I definitely need to get this game again.

[@Sedona_FD3S]

You all must listen to the guitar covers of this game by Breath Of The Sea.

[@TheCompletionist]

This is hands down one of the best reviews regarding this game. This game for me is officially completed to 100% and therefore is retired for good and I think hands down this would be in my top ten games of all time for the super nintendo. The game is actually really hard to complete because in order to complete it to 100% you need to beat the game on hard mode/gamer mode to have a bunch of mobi-chans to walk on the screen during the end credit sequence. One of the frustrating things regarding this game is that damn ceiling tank boss, that boss is so hard compared to the final boss of the game. I still need to watch both anime versios of area 88, there was one made in the 80's and another one made recently - so I should really make time to try to watch both of them.

[@dmon007]

Yessss thank you" Next up, Wild Guns?

[@hjalmarjohnson5846]

So, despite what you would think on the surface, one of the better shoot em ups on the console is made by Capcom, and one of the best beat em ups on the console is made by Konami. Odd how they seemed to take on each others wheelhouse and run with it. I dunno, seemed interesting to me, at least.

[@theologamer]

your estimated launch date for the next episode is today. lol

[@nerdonofriendo]

i had this cart dad got it for me, such a great game

[@fireflocs]

So, when your plane gets hit, your health bar becomes a sort of...danger-containing area?

[@SlyBeast]

Nah, if you take another hit in danger, you'll die. If you recover and take another hit, you'll be back to "danger" status. It's a little weird.

[@JeremyParish]

It takes you right into the danger zone.

[@SlyBeast]

I'm ashamed that I didn't see what was going on there.

[@EmmBee27]

Would you say the zone is one of danger?

[@Nuclearlandlord]

And you get to this... danger zone via highway or interstate?

[@michaelw6277]

This game was the cat’s pajamas.

[@elvistwatty]

Loved this game!

[@sammylane21]

I fucking love this game.

[@SatoshiMatrix1]

Not a game I owned as a kid - afterall, I got only 3-4 games total ever year. It's too bad shmups like this are so pricey these days. I'd love to pick up a copy now. Oh well. Guess I'll have to settle for emulation.

[@ChristopherSobieniak]

You can always watch the OVA to tide you over!

[@JeremyParish]

You should be able to pick up a U.N. Squadron SNES cart for less than $20 - not bad at all. Get it while the gettin's good, I'd say.

[@ChristopherSobieniak]

Until some nerd starts the price war!

[@JeremyParish]

That's why you gotta buy now.

[@TanookiSuit]

I didn't get it as a teen then either but picked it up in the back half of the later 90s, lost it and re-acquired it again in the 00s and held onto it ever since. A rare case of an anime game not neutered for the US market and also just a fantastic shooter with a very unique damage, gear and reward systems. It's cheap too given what many Capcom and Konami top publisher games go for.

[@nimaiiikun]

cluster, napalm, satellite. the only 3 special weapons you needed in this game (except that one time you needed that upward gun for the cave stage

[@zxKAOS1]

The mercenary theme definitely differentiated it for the better. Some grinding with truck hunting to raise enough money, but otherwise, solid game.

[@AtaraxiaaixaratA]

You didn't talk about the "Gamer Mode"!

[@xcar0982]

I bough it this year, and was fun, but really hard, I had to use a control with slowmo yo finish it. But before this video, I never found info it was based in an anime/manga

[@JeremyParish]

Area 88 is pretty good and holds up well. Unfortunately Viz never finished localizing the U.S. adaptation of the comic, but the anime OAVs are more or less self-contained. Check 'em out sometime.

[@stiangjevik88]

absolutely love u.n. squadron but it's unfortunate that parts of chocolate rain are present in the mission select map music

[@Polyh3dron]

Any idea why the sound in this game is unusually loud and often distorts, whether it's on a real SNES, Super Nt or emulation? The audio does sound a lot more punchy than most dynamically flat and almost-delicate sounding SNES games, but maybe they were going for that sound and the distortion was the tradeoff. A tradeoff that most other devs weren't willing to do possibly?

[@MaxwelThuThu]

Rob Young Yes, the game sound is loud. Just like they did in Super Ghouls N Ghosts. But i can't see about the distortion that you're talking about.

[@yoso378]

Oh my God, we had this game when I was a kid but I never even tried it because the cartridge art made it look like those boring flight sims my dad had on our computer.

[@JeremyParish]

Joseph Arellano Young you blew it!

[@SanjayMerchant]

Until today, I thought Shin was the Token Girl Playable character that came standard in 90's video games. (I don't know enough about Japanese names to tell on sight which ones are masculine and which feminine.)

[@Vednier]

When was child i also always believed that Shin is a girl :) Oh than androgynous anime characters.

[@srenvestergaard4249]

Dutch?! Greg Gates is DANISH, thank you very much.

[@JeremyParish]

He sounds delicious!

[@srenvestergaard4249]

Most danes are! :-)

[@DkViking1]

Søren Vestergaard: SÅDAN Søren! Så fik du lige sat ham Jeremy på plads! 👍🏻😜

[@ManuelJordan317]

It is my best snes game, BTW, do you know about the hidden extra life? Its icon is the pilot's helmet.

[@Kasparius26]

And thankfully it's not super expensive either (yet.) I paid $20 for a very clean authentic cartridge the other day.

[@SergioPL]

I played in the 90's, but never had the cartridge, until 2015, when I buy one copy for 19,99! It's a amazing game!!

[@richardmack330]

Love this game. It deserves more recognition than it gets. Shame it wasn't on the Snes mini so more people could get to play it.

[@bonesjackson81]

2nd best snes shmup to only Super Aleste /Space Megaforce imo. The soundtrack is ingrained in my mind, which is great. Have had it since I was 12. Can be tough but never in a cpu rip off way.

[@anon-soso-anon]

I'm not great at shmups but I'm ok. I have tried to finish this game multiple times across the years and I can never beat the conveyer belt boss. I love this game though.

[@Davethe3rd]

I hate that this will never see a rerelease because it's a licensed property. This game was fucking dope!!

[@2001mark]

Contra with jets! My fav shtmup probably ever. Beautiful sights & sounds, one of the 'easiest hard games'. Huge gift: no damage from hitting the floors or ceilings like Gradius series.

[@jamesmoss3424]

I will play U.N. squadron. 😀👍🎮

[@kara-knight3364]

I started collecting dollar comics several years ago and this store in Brooklyn I go to carries a lot of copper age stuff. One of my first purchases is the first few issues of Area 88, published by Eclipse and Viz. It's a shame that the series ended with issue 43, as Eclipse went into bankruptcy by the time the Area 88 video game came out.

[@richardmack330]

I got the Area 88 dvd boxset.